About This Project

Humans are exceptional when it comes to collaborating and self-sacrificing for the groups we love. Using cutting-edge neuroimaging technology, this project aims to identify specific brain regions that allow us to reign in our selfish impulses and contribute to the greater good. By mapping these neural systems, we can better combat violence, greed, climate change, and other short-sighted temptations that threaten our species' survival.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

With the advent of brain imaging, scientists have begun piecing together the neural systems that guide our rich and dynamic social life. Though these methods continue to enrich our grasp of empathy and altruism, the biological roots of group-based cooperation remain mostly a mystery.

So far, researchers have used brain scans to isolate neural regions that activate when people engage in 2-player economic games (e.g. the prisoner's dilemma). Almost every real-world challenge we face, however, occurs on a much larger scale (e.g., family, nation, globe).

With nearly a century of research on the distinctive aspects of group-based psychology, there's now an urgent demand for neuroimaging experiments that can more readily capture the multiplayer dynamics of cooperation.

What is the significance of this project?

In order to seal this critical gap, we will conduct fMRI scans while groups of participants solve cooperative dilemmas.In addition, by experimentally manipulating altruistic norms, we can observe in real-time as the brain automatizes cooperative decisions.

Finally, by combining insights across scientific disciplines (e.g., cognitive neuroscience, behavioral economics, social psychology), this project is in a unique position to clarify one of the prevailing mysteries of humankind: are we wired to be good, and if so, how can we leverage this natural benevolence to maximize our collective potential?

What are the goals of the project?

The primary goal of this project is to isolate specific neural systems that guide cooperative behavior. First, we will pilot test our experimental procedure to ensure that our modified public goods game is intelligible, compelling, and engaging. Next, we will recruit fifty participants from our local community to play this cooperative dilemma while undergoing fMRI. Afterwards, participants will complete questionnaires measuring key personality variables that can influence cooperation (e.g. psychopathic tendencies). Finally, in order to isolate which variables most accurately predict cooperative choices, we will develop algorithmic models that harvest the multi-dimensional data (i.e., neural, behavioral, personality) we accrue.